Asking for help in the hospital

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Every once in awhile I have to admitted to the hospital with respiratory issues, or another problem and sometimes i have ivs in both arms or in alot of pain from back issues from neuropathy. I try to change myself whenever possible but how do you ask for help when needed? Do you call it a diaper or brief and how do you ask for assistance. Ive had some not so good experiences in the past where they wont check me at all and next time when i need to i want to ask.

What are your suggestions? Its kinda embarrassing but I am 37 and had bladder issues my entire life basically. Diagnosed with nuerogenic bladder, unknown where it came from, also ibs. I had a tbi when i was younger, and fractured my t6 vertibre and now have a herniated disk at l4-l5. Kinda sucks.

 

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You ask a nurse and tell her exactly everything that is related to this problem and say you need a diaper and help with the change

 

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theHello fellow sufferers who are coping with OAB/UI.

I am here to tell you there is hope of one day getting "Dry".

I've had to deal with Over Active Bladder since Dec. 2017.

These past 19 months have been the most "miserable" time of my life, and i'm 82 Yoa.

After 19 months of wearing pads and adult diapers,I am now "Dry".

However, just in case, I wore a diaper and man pad when I went to
bed at night. But each morning when I woke up the pad and
diaper was dry. And for the past 4 weeks when I went out in public
I wore "only" the adult diaper. I am happy to report the diaper stayed dry all day and Evening.

So 3 days ago I took a bold step and started wearing only my Boxer underwear.I thought I would never again be able to wear them. Wrong!

It has now been 3 days wearing clean underwear each day when I go
out to Starbucks.

My underwear has been dry during all three days. Happy Happy!

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not a train
coming down the tunnel train tracks. : )

So hang in there and Good Luck!

P.S. During the past 15 momths I have been praying to the "Man" above asking for relief from my OAB. The pastors at my church have also been praying for me. I now believe my OAB is finaly gone. Thanks to the "Power of Prayer".

Rollo

 

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The last time I was hospitalized, I spent 3 days in ICU and 2 days in the stroke unit. I was admitted through the ER, where I spent over 8 hours and one diaper change. I just simply told the nurse I needed to change and she simply asked if I used pull ups or diapers. I explained diapers and told her the size. She brought a few into my ER room and asked if I needed help. (at this point, I only had 1 IV in one arm and was able to mange on my own)

When I was moved to ICU, the team of nurses knew of all my medical issues. At this point, I had IV's in both arms. Every two hours or so, a nurse would come in to check on me and asked if I needed a change. I recall at one point, I had finally fallen asleep and was awoken to being changed. It startled me a first, but as I awoke, the nurse very pleasantly explained it was morning, the shift had changed and introduced herself. For the next 3 days in ICU, the nurses would just check my diaper and change it every time they checked my IV's, stats and meds (which seemed to be every two hours or so).

When I was moved to the stroke unit, the nurses would only check on me every 3 to 4 hours. If I needed to change, I had to press the call button and wait for the nurse to come in. I was in a bed that had an alarm on it (I found out the hard way) so if I got out of bed, to get a fresh diaper and attempt to change myself, the alarm would go off at the nurses station and I found my self quickly surrounded my several nurses telling me I was not allowed to get out of bed without one of them with me.

I tell this story to remind everyone, the nurses and doctors have seen it all. If you are in the hospital and need help changing, just press the button and they will help you. You are there for a reason, and the trained professionals (the nurses) know what you can and should do verses what they should and will do for you. If you need help changing, just press the call button and tell them you need to change. They will help you help yourself.....

 

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Make sure to tell the doctors and the nurses that you have neurogenic bladder and IBS and require diapers for the lack of control.

Nurses in hospitals have developed the bias that people ask for diapers in hospital because of lack of motivation to get up and go to bathroom and they see this lack of mobility as delaying recovery which leads to dependency on diapers.

If they know exactly why you can't always make it to the bathroom then they won't judge you for needing diapers and will be better able to support you.

 

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The last time I was admitted and it was through emergency, as they didn't catch a bad,bad UTI. They were helping me undress, and I was wearing a pullup. It was wet. They had read my history, saw my bladder issues, and urinary retention with incontinence. They ask me if I needed to go. I said yes, and I was so unsteady, and I'm a fall risk, she helped me in, and I sat down and she waited, nothing happen so up into bed. They asked if I could self cath, I said I would try. But then they called my PCP. She mentioned to mention to treating PCP, he needs to have a Foley placed. Also after that was done, they came back in and help me into a pullup also.
My history is there, my PCP is on it. I didn't have to ask for anything.....

 

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I suggest telling them to write on your white board PLEASE CHANGE DIAPER EVERY 3 HOURS. It will be a nurse aide who does this,
Make eye contact with each aide you deal with on each shift and ask in a polite friendly way for asistance as you "have an embarrassing uncomfortable problem" . You neeed help to change your diaper because you have an over active bladder.
People like to be made to feel important and helpful, addressing the individual nakes them feel special and needed. Most people in this profession went into it because they like yo help others like to feel needed and they like to be treated with respect so being up front and personable eill help your cause.

 

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I was in the hospital last February. Informed staff that I was a bedwetter and may need help changing my hospital issued diapers. They were there to help as needed. Also they turned on the bed alarm for my safety. I told them that I change positions often to turn it off, or they would be resetting every five minutes.

 

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I will also add that it has been my experience that medical professional no longer shy away from use of the word diaper, trying somehow to preserve our "dignity" by calling it brief, shield, pad, etc. I am much less offended when it is just called what it is. I have a medical condition that requires a diaper, and I am not ashamed of that. But when another person acts ashamed or uncomfortable, it makes me feel the same way. So glad that has changed!

 

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I had a stroke in January of 2018. I wore pull-ups during the day and fortunately had just changed into a clean one about 20 minutes before my stroke. The stroke affected my dominate right arm and right leg. The small hospital I initially was at didn't say or ask much of it but of course the were following the stroke protocol to a tee so they were focused on that. I received the TPA and then was air lifted to a hospital with a Neurology unit. Their concern was that the incontinence was chronic prior to the stroke. In the ER they noticed I was wet, when they were moving me from the CT cart back to a room bed. The nurse was very apologetic about the fact that they did not stock pull-ups. She said they have tape style diapers or she could check about a catheter. I told her I've worn a diaper to bed all my life so it was not a big deal except I have always been able to change myself and obviously couldn't now. She said for her and the other nurses that was not a bother at all. She changed me which was embarrassing at first but I got used to it over the course of my stay. They were always very professional about it, asked nearly every time thy did an assessment if I needed changed. I don't believe I had to ask for a change once. If someone was in the room they were more discrete or waited until the people left and came right back in to ask. I didn't have any issue. But I had a head nurse that made rounds everyday to make sure my needs were met plus my doctor. They are the ones you should tell, ask for them if they don't come regularly and your needs aren't being met. If you think you can change yourself tell them you think you can but will they stand by the curtain just in case. I know it's a crazy theory but it seems like the more you try to do for yourself the more they want to help you.

 

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How are you doing now since your stroke? Hoping a bit better now? I imagine that can really throw a wrench into things. If you are in pretty good health.

 

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@jrpoorman If your asking about my stroke I'm doing great. Two months of Physical and occupational therapy 3 days a week did wonders. I'd say I'm 99% from where I was before stroke. It was definitely a wrench for a very active 52 year old.

 

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Good for you Alpit!! Glad to hear you are doing well